REDLANDS – Hell Week workouts can be a physical grind, but for University of Redlands senior setter Ellie McLeod, it was also a chance to see her new teammates in action.

“I was excited to see everyone working,” said McLeod, noting that with eight freshmen joining the program, there was a bit of an unknown element to the early season.

McLeod wasn’t the only one watching.

“I know the freshmen wanted to work hard to show the older girls that we were good and we wanted to win and we were going to do well this year,” freshman defensive specialist Lauren Lux said. “I think that’s showing.”

Two weeks into the season it’s definitely showing.

Buoyed by a strong freshmen class, the Bulldogs are off to a 7-1 start, already topping the win total of last year’s 6-20 season. Since finishing 18-11 in 2010, Redlands hasn’t won more than eight matches in a season.

Second-year head coach Lisa Lindberg credits the six returning players for helping make the transition smooth for the younger players, but even she admits to being surprised by how quickly the players jelled.

“This is a fun surprise,” Lindberg said. “If you asked me a month ago if I thought we’d be 7-1, I’d say ‘I sure hope so and I think it’s possible, but I don’t know if we will be.’ I’m constantly learning that this team is capable of more and more, so we’re able to push harder. This season is about momentum, and we’re rolling with it right now.”

McLeod, junior defensive specialist Abigail Hickman, senior defensive specialist Alex Michel and senior outside hitter Addison Fonseca have been stalwarts in the rotation along with sophomore Kaylee Burdick, who led the team in kills as a freshman last season.

So far this season, it’s freshman middle hitter Sofia Olsson, who leads the team in kills and blocks. Burdick is right behind, giving the Bulldogs a solid 1-2 offensive punch. Freshman Christina Casey is third on the team in kills and freshman Sammi Tafoya is fifth.

“We had some ups and downs,” Olsson said of the team’s start. “So we learned we could have such incredible highs and we saw how well we could play and what to build off of. We also saw how we played when it didn’t click for us and we went into these ruts … We showed we are able to have these mental lows and we improved on getting out of those ruts a lot faster.”

The season will no doubt get tougher when the Bulldogs enter SCIAC play beginning Friday. Cal Lutheran is the defending NCAA Division III national champion and currently ranked No. 1 in the polls. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is No. 4 in the national poll.

“Once they (freshmen) see our competition they’ll get a little taste of what needs to be done the rest of the season,” McLeod said, adding the intensity ramps up in conference play.

Early signs are that the underclassmen are ready. The Bulldogs trailed St. John Fisher 13-5 in the first set of the season opener before regrouping and eventually earning a 3-0 sweep.

“They shook off the nerves and got their heads on straight and it was smooth sailing,” Lindberg said.

The learning curve continues.

“We think of ourselves as teachers and the learning process is what we’re focusing on,” Lindberg said. “It’s great to see the strides being made … We understand there will be freshman mistakes and inconsistencies here and there, but that’s OK as long as we learn and apply it to the next game.”

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